So after all that travel it was finally time to settle down: starting at 8:45 sharp on Monday orientation began with an International Student breakfast hosted by the Study Abroad Student Society (SASS) in the quad. Unfortunately, I planned my entrance a little late and ended up getting there just after the food ran out. I did meet some amazing people though while waiting to be taken to the next location! (What I didn't find out until later was many of them are also in my residence hall, so that's been pretty fantastic). Harrison is from Edinburgh and studies English Literature. He's also been here a semester already and was using this orientation to meet new people after everyone he met last year had left. There's also Peter and Alexander from Denmark, Katharina and Antonia from Germany, and Camille from Belgium. Finally they moved us to Hood Plaza in front of the business school so we could all socialize with people in our specific colleges within the university before sitting down for lectures. All in all it was pretty okay, lots of awkward ice breakers but they did provide cookies and apple cider after so maybe it was worth it.
After that we sat through probably five or six hours of orientation material on what to do and not do in Auckland with a small break for lunch at the Student center. The day ended with a scavenger hunt and activities around campus which might have been a bit better...if we were at all familiar with campus up to that point. Maybe other groups were but ours was certainly not and our end score reflected that somewhat. Finally, close to 7 pm a group of us decided we probably needed groceries and went off in search of a "Countdown" supermarket. I am sad to say that the one two hills over I visited with my parents and sister last week is in fact the closest one and the walk back was pretty brutal. I did get a good selection of things though and haven't needed to go back yet this week. I'd call that a win for a first solo grocery trip!
Tuesday I did my own thing for most of the day which turned into exploring the area around Queen Street, right down the hill. It started as a search for the closest Magic shop where I'm hoping to do a Dominaria pre-release in April...and found it right along Albert Park. Then I kind of just wandered stopping wherever seemed interesting. I saw a Japanese bargain shop, multiple Chatimes (a bubble tea chain that has locations in Boston), a massive cinema, and two arcades. Queen Street is definitely an area I'll be frequenting. Dinner on my own consisted of Fried Eggs which came out...decently...on some extremely burnt toast. After being treated to pre-prepared tortellini the night before it was certainly a downgrade in taste but we'll get there.
On Wednesday I had my School of Science faculty orientation. There was an amazing Maori ceremony to top it off, welcoming us all to the school and learning some of the traditional rituals associated with introduction but from there things kind of went downhill. Turns out, this was the orientation for incoming freshman straight out of High School and while some of the material was relatively interesting, I did not really need multiple speeches on time management and how I'm in the big leagues now. The Computer Science specific lecture fared no better focusing on why I should study Computer Science at all.
The wasn't a total loss though, after two nights of cooking for myself I finally caught a break in the form of a movie night hosted by SASS watching Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a fantastic movie from New Zealand about a boy and his adoptive guardian surviving in the wilderness. It's also a comedy. I went with a bunch of the friends I had made on Monday and it was a blast! The provided Pizza Hut also helped.
I didn't do much yesterday either besides a few trips into campus to buy some electronic equipment and NZ laptop chargers. Since I only have the one converter and power strip I'm trying to minimize the need for it as much as possible.
With classes starting next week I'll probably reduce posts to really interesting stories or fun activities and less like weekly updates but we'll see how that goes. Today my parents get back into Auckland too so I've spent the morning scouring for restaurants. In the end I think I found a couple, but now I'm also very hungry...
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Monday, February 19, 2018
Greetings from New Zealand!
Hello again!
Starting right where I left off until present day...
Our flight from Perth to Auckland was six hours accompanied by a five hour time change so I was a bit out of it when we landed. Soon enough we had found the rental car and were driving into the city. Our only goals for today were to move the bulk of my stuff into my new dorm room and see the city a little, a low bar was necessary after the exhausting plane ride. We arrived at my dormitory a little before it opened but luckily someone was on staff to let me in and show me where I'll be spending the next four and a half months: it's quite cozy! I'll post a picture soon. After moving the most of it (the big suitcase I'd been lugging around) we went out in search of breakfast and a grocery store.
We settled on food around Federal Street which might have been a bit more expensive than the average breakfast in Auckland but the eggs and hash I had were absolutely delicious! I might just have to go back. In short order we also found the closest grocery store to my building and had a blast picking out various living supplies and dealing with an automatic checkout. Once I was fully stocked here at 55 Symonds, we drove to our hotel for the night on the other side of the city: the illustrious Jucy Snooze.
Whatever anyone else tells you about this fantastic establishment: don't listen. With shared bathrooms giving you a chance to socialize any time of day and heat in the basement rooms at no extra charge it's a paradise! Our room managed to fit double-wide bed under a single bunk and a cot to the side. How space-efficient! Anyhow, it wasn't so awful and we spent as much time as we could stay awake in the afternoon heading to a fantastic Mexican restaurant for lunch and exploring the Britobart area of Auckland just on the other side of Albert Park to my University.
The next day found us traveling close to four hours into the Bay of Islands in the town of Paihia. The whole area was beautiful with a small main strip where we had some ribs for lunch and some local beaches giving us beautiful views of the islands giving the area its name. The following morning we booked a boat cruise out to the hole in the rock at the edge of the bay. It was a fantastic cruise that added a whole lot more depth to the knowledge we had of the area and with only minimal sea-sickness showed us the fantastic sites.
The weather was a little choppy for our skipper to actually drive through the hole but we almost did! We also docked on a small island for lunch that had a path to Cook's lookout, where he proclaimed the area to be...a bay of islands. Perhaps not known for his inventive naming schemes, Cook is recognized as one of the first ship captains to attempt to prevent Scury on his ships. While not knowing the exact cause, he did notice fresh fruit kept the sickness at bay and would instruct crew to eat a lot more fresh fruit and veg than other captains and it did wonders for the health of his men. Anyway! After the tour and some final seeing of Paihia we drove to Whangerei, taking time to only drop our bags in the room before going to Tutukaka and experiencing the wonderful beaches first hand. We even took a cool hike into the brush that took us to some mermaid pools, which were unfortunately underwater due to the tide so we turned back and headed for home after an exhaustive day.
On our final day of touring, my family and I began the long road back to Auckland but stopped for two more short adventures along the way. The first being in Waipu caves seeing some glow worms. If you ever come to New Zealand, they are definitely worth the visit. Navigating a damp, dark cave by headlight only to look up and see what appear to be galaxies of stars above you is a breath-taking experience. The worms are all over in the larger rooms but you never see the creatures themselves, just the star-like glow that gives the cave its attraction. Properly muddied up and wet, we eventually left the cave and headed to a beach on the western coast.
Made memorable by massive waves, the time we spent on the beach was amazing. After a minor hemming and hawing and getting soaked by a wave while still in cargo shorts we eventually all donned our bathing suits and battled the powerful waves of the Western shore. Rip-currents would pull us in and out with enough force to notice but not enough to really hinder us. Still, it was a new experience for me and a little jarring at first. Eventually, I just used it to ride waves into shore like on a lazy river. We eventually had had enough and finished the drive, dropping my belongings and me...with plans to meet up for dinner later on. I did some minor unpacking before being summoned to "Pokpok," a nearby Thai place Emma had selected for good eats.
Eats were indeed good, I had Chicken Pad Thai and loved it. After that, we headed back to my room for some Olympics...but in the process of waiting watched most of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Too soon it was time to say goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Emma. It had been an amazing vacation.
Starting right where I left off until present day...
Our flight from Perth to Auckland was six hours accompanied by a five hour time change so I was a bit out of it when we landed. Soon enough we had found the rental car and were driving into the city. Our only goals for today were to move the bulk of my stuff into my new dorm room and see the city a little, a low bar was necessary after the exhausting plane ride. We arrived at my dormitory a little before it opened but luckily someone was on staff to let me in and show me where I'll be spending the next four and a half months: it's quite cozy! I'll post a picture soon. After moving the most of it (the big suitcase I'd been lugging around) we went out in search of breakfast and a grocery store.
We settled on food around Federal Street which might have been a bit more expensive than the average breakfast in Auckland but the eggs and hash I had were absolutely delicious! I might just have to go back. In short order we also found the closest grocery store to my building and had a blast picking out various living supplies and dealing with an automatic checkout. Once I was fully stocked here at 55 Symonds, we drove to our hotel for the night on the other side of the city: the illustrious Jucy Snooze.
Whatever anyone else tells you about this fantastic establishment: don't listen. With shared bathrooms giving you a chance to socialize any time of day and heat in the basement rooms at no extra charge it's a paradise! Our room managed to fit double-wide bed under a single bunk and a cot to the side. How space-efficient! Anyhow, it wasn't so awful and we spent as much time as we could stay awake in the afternoon heading to a fantastic Mexican restaurant for lunch and exploring the Britobart area of Auckland just on the other side of Albert Park to my University.
The weather was a little choppy for our skipper to actually drive through the hole but we almost did! We also docked on a small island for lunch that had a path to Cook's lookout, where he proclaimed the area to be...a bay of islands. Perhaps not known for his inventive naming schemes, Cook is recognized as one of the first ship captains to attempt to prevent Scury on his ships. While not knowing the exact cause, he did notice fresh fruit kept the sickness at bay and would instruct crew to eat a lot more fresh fruit and veg than other captains and it did wonders for the health of his men. Anyway! After the tour and some final seeing of Paihia we drove to Whangerei, taking time to only drop our bags in the room before going to Tutukaka and experiencing the wonderful beaches first hand. We even took a cool hike into the brush that took us to some mermaid pools, which were unfortunately underwater due to the tide so we turned back and headed for home after an exhaustive day.
On our final day of touring, my family and I began the long road back to Auckland but stopped for two more short adventures along the way. The first being in Waipu caves seeing some glow worms. If you ever come to New Zealand, they are definitely worth the visit. Navigating a damp, dark cave by headlight only to look up and see what appear to be galaxies of stars above you is a breath-taking experience. The worms are all over in the larger rooms but you never see the creatures themselves, just the star-like glow that gives the cave its attraction. Properly muddied up and wet, we eventually left the cave and headed to a beach on the western coast.
Made memorable by massive waves, the time we spent on the beach was amazing. After a minor hemming and hawing and getting soaked by a wave while still in cargo shorts we eventually all donned our bathing suits and battled the powerful waves of the Western shore. Rip-currents would pull us in and out with enough force to notice but not enough to really hinder us. Still, it was a new experience for me and a little jarring at first. Eventually, I just used it to ride waves into shore like on a lazy river. We eventually had had enough and finished the drive, dropping my belongings and me...with plans to meet up for dinner later on. I did some minor unpacking before being summoned to "Pokpok," a nearby Thai place Emma had selected for good eats.
Eats were indeed good, I had Chicken Pad Thai and loved it. After that, we headed back to my room for some Olympics...but in the process of waiting watched most of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Too soon it was time to say goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Emma. It had been an amazing vacation.
Greetings From Australia!
Kia ora!
Although my trip really started a little over a week ago, I've been so busy bouncing between locations that I really haven't had time to post anything. So hopefully now that I'm settled in my apartment in Auckland that will start to change and I'll try to summarize my travels so far starting from the beginning:
After a somewhat leisurely morning in Saratoga, it was finally time to begin our journey. Luckily, we didn't have to trek into New York or Boston for our flight and were able to get a connection in Albany. From there we flew to Charlotte, LA, Sydney, and finally to Perth. Took us roughly 33 hours of airplane time and that's not something I can wish on anyone...although the Sydney to Perth trip by Qantas really set the bar for air travel: meal. Wi-Fi, snacks, AND complimentary chocolate! It was a dream come true after crossing the Pacific. Along the way I also read "Down Under" by Bill Bryson, a fantastic book about his travels to Australia some fifteen years before. While he did tend to focus on a lot of the areas I didn't get to see in my brief time on the island continent, it certainly has me excited to go back.
Michael, his daughter Michelle, and her husband Doug picked us up from the airport in Perth right at the gate! Coming from the US that seemed absolutely insane they were able to come right up to the terminal but I certainly wasn't complaining. There were brief introductions, but I think we were all ready to be on the road to Port Kennedy, where Michael and Norma live roughly an hour south of Perth. When we finally did arrive, there were more introductions with Norma and eventually we all just sat down and had a drink talking about the previous (and only!) time we had seen them years ago back in Saratoga. Gramp also came up quite a few times, and I'll say it was really amazing hearing certain stories from another view (when Michael kicked Gramp's ball under a tram as one example) and learning more about my family overall. I even took notes!
Later that evening, Phillip and his wife Mihayla came over with their daughter Lumie for dinner. I spent most of my time with the two year old Lumie who is learning Romanian from her parents and English through exposure. This did lead to some lulls in the conversation between the two of us, but I was able to breach most of the language barrier with stuffed animals: a monkey and a tiger to be specific. I haven't seen Philip since I went to England some ten years ago or more so his last memory of me was that of a pipsqueak. Dinner was excellent, an assorted barbecue with trifle for dessert.
The next day my family along with Micheal and Norma piled into a rented van and headed into Freemantle (Freo), to meet up with Michelle and Doug for lunch. We arrived a little early and our two "tour guides" decided to show us the dock where they as well as Grandma and Gramp arrived in Australia all those years ago...
Nearby was the Freemantle Maritime Museum that had a massive display outside dedicated to some of the original settlers of Australia from England. If you look closely, you might recognize a couple names!
Shortly after we found that board, Doug and Michelle arrived and we went to a nearby fish and chips restaurant for lunch. Ruby, Michelle's daughter, also made a brief guest appearance to lunch talking about some of her crazy world travels to Canada, Vietnam, and beyond! She also took Norma back to home for a nap since Norma wasn't feeling too well...the rest of us continued to explore Freemantle and after finding out that tour buses were somewhat expensive, we opted to spend some time in a cafe drinking coffee. Before that though, I made a quick detour to a 2nd hand bookshop I had seen in the afternoon and ended up purchasing a collection of Henry Lawson short stories. While I knew nothing about him at the time of purchase he appears to be a prolific Australian writer. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Eventually we stopped by Michelle and Doug's house again for some afternoon refreshment before heading back to Norma and Michael's for dinner.
On Tuesday after accompanying him on a morning walk, Michael took us to an animal park!
Koalas were certainly some of the highlights, but we also saw some Kangaroos and Kookaburras as well as Quokkas and Emus! I took plenty of pictures but this post is already going to set records for length...we were able to get back in time for a late lunch with Norma and a somewhat relaxed afternoon.
Wednesday was sadly our last day in Australia. We spent the morning touring Mandurah with Michael and exploring all the ins and outs of the little beach town complete with walking through a local market. Then, we headed back to the house for some last minute packing and Michelle came over for lunch.
Far too soon it was time to say goodbye, and in the early afternoon we took to the airport for Auckland.
Although my trip really started a little over a week ago, I've been so busy bouncing between locations that I really haven't had time to post anything. So hopefully now that I'm settled in my apartment in Auckland that will start to change and I'll try to summarize my travels so far starting from the beginning:
After a somewhat leisurely morning in Saratoga, it was finally time to begin our journey. Luckily, we didn't have to trek into New York or Boston for our flight and were able to get a connection in Albany. From there we flew to Charlotte, LA, Sydney, and finally to Perth. Took us roughly 33 hours of airplane time and that's not something I can wish on anyone...although the Sydney to Perth trip by Qantas really set the bar for air travel: meal. Wi-Fi, snacks, AND complimentary chocolate! It was a dream come true after crossing the Pacific. Along the way I also read "Down Under" by Bill Bryson, a fantastic book about his travels to Australia some fifteen years before. While he did tend to focus on a lot of the areas I didn't get to see in my brief time on the island continent, it certainly has me excited to go back.
Michael, his daughter Michelle, and her husband Doug picked us up from the airport in Perth right at the gate! Coming from the US that seemed absolutely insane they were able to come right up to the terminal but I certainly wasn't complaining. There were brief introductions, but I think we were all ready to be on the road to Port Kennedy, where Michael and Norma live roughly an hour south of Perth. When we finally did arrive, there were more introductions with Norma and eventually we all just sat down and had a drink talking about the previous (and only!) time we had seen them years ago back in Saratoga. Gramp also came up quite a few times, and I'll say it was really amazing hearing certain stories from another view (when Michael kicked Gramp's ball under a tram as one example) and learning more about my family overall. I even took notes!
Later that evening, Phillip and his wife Mihayla came over with their daughter Lumie for dinner. I spent most of my time with the two year old Lumie who is learning Romanian from her parents and English through exposure. This did lead to some lulls in the conversation between the two of us, but I was able to breach most of the language barrier with stuffed animals: a monkey and a tiger to be specific. I haven't seen Philip since I went to England some ten years ago or more so his last memory of me was that of a pipsqueak. Dinner was excellent, an assorted barbecue with trifle for dessert.
The next day my family along with Micheal and Norma piled into a rented van and headed into Freemantle (Freo), to meet up with Michelle and Doug for lunch. We arrived a little early and our two "tour guides" decided to show us the dock where they as well as Grandma and Gramp arrived in Australia all those years ago...
Nearby was the Freemantle Maritime Museum that had a massive display outside dedicated to some of the original settlers of Australia from England. If you look closely, you might recognize a couple names!
Shortly after we found that board, Doug and Michelle arrived and we went to a nearby fish and chips restaurant for lunch. Ruby, Michelle's daughter, also made a brief guest appearance to lunch talking about some of her crazy world travels to Canada, Vietnam, and beyond! She also took Norma back to home for a nap since Norma wasn't feeling too well...the rest of us continued to explore Freemantle and after finding out that tour buses were somewhat expensive, we opted to spend some time in a cafe drinking coffee. Before that though, I made a quick detour to a 2nd hand bookshop I had seen in the afternoon and ended up purchasing a collection of Henry Lawson short stories. While I knew nothing about him at the time of purchase he appears to be a prolific Australian writer. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Eventually we stopped by Michelle and Doug's house again for some afternoon refreshment before heading back to Norma and Michael's for dinner.
On Tuesday after accompanying him on a morning walk, Michael took us to an animal park!
Koalas were certainly some of the highlights, but we also saw some Kangaroos and Kookaburras as well as Quokkas and Emus! I took plenty of pictures but this post is already going to set records for length...we were able to get back in time for a late lunch with Norma and a somewhat relaxed afternoon.
Wednesday was sadly our last day in Australia. We spent the morning touring Mandurah with Michael and exploring all the ins and outs of the little beach town complete with walking through a local market. Then, we headed back to the house for some last minute packing and Michelle came over for lunch.
Far too soon it was time to say goodbye, and in the early afternoon we took to the airport for Auckland.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)